Loyal love is tough!
It is tough because it remains true in the middle of difficult circumstances. Part of being in healthy relationships with one another is learning to work through our challenges and problems instead of bailing when the problems come.
That’s one of the beautiful things about the loyal love between Ruth and Naomi. When they are faced with the tragic death of the patriarch of the family and then husbands of both Ruth and Orpah (Naomi’s daughter-in-laws), instead of bailing and going back to her nuclear family (which would be easy), Ruth commits to staying with Naomi.
She commits to being there through the good and the bad.
Far too often instead of working through our issues with those that we love we suppress our problems, pretend they don’t exist, tend to avoid them, procrastinate dealing with them, or forget them all together until they pop up again.
Author Scott Peck wrote in his book The Road Less Traveled, “It is in the whole process of solving problems that life has meaning. Problems are the cutting edge that distinguishes between success and failure. Problems call forth our courage and wisdom. It is only because of problems that we grow mentally and spiritually. It is through the pain of confronting and resolving our problems that we learn. As Benjamin Franklin said, ‘These things that hurt, instruct.’
Yet, loyal love is tough love and can endure problems.
How can we practice loyal love today!?
Ruth 1:
16-17 But Ruth said, “Don’t force me to leave you; don’t make me go home. Where you go, I go; and where you live, I’ll live. Your people are my people, your God is my god; where you die, I’ll die, and that’s where I’ll be buried, so help me God—not even death itself is going to come between us!”